Caspian Grill, More Than Just Gyros

If you frequently step out of Heine Bros. Coffee on Frankfort Avenue feeling a hearty hunger that the coffee shop’s pastries, bagels and vegan goodies simply can’t fill, you’ll be delighted to know that you can get a gyro in the neighborhood again.

The little storefront next door to Heine’s had been vacant since It’s All Greek To Me packed up its famous “Best Gyros in the Entire World” signs and moved out in the middle of a hot summer night a year ago in June.

Now its landlord, who operated Cafe Glacé next door a few years ago and later opened the short-lived Caspian Grill on Bardstown Road, has resurrected Caspian Grill in this small, colorfully decorated space.

The menu offers a good selection of Persian delights (and a few Greek goodies) at affordable prices. Apps, soups, salads and sandwiches range in price from $2.50 (for hummus or fries) to $5.50 (for a beef or black bean veggie burger). Eight entrees are $5.95 (for a chicken, lamb or veggie kabob) to $15.95 (for a lamb kabob).

We started with appetizer portions of Iranian eggplant ($3.50), grilled and mashed with onion, garlic, mint and walnuts, and a simple, fresh Shirazi salad ($2.50) of diced tomato, cucumber and onion with mint.

The gyro ($4.95) was simple, a generous portion of thin-sliced lamb and beef gyro meat with a dab of tzatziki sauce and diced lettuce and tomato tucked into a warm pita. It was good, although the meat was a bit salty, and we wouldn’t have minded a little more tzatziki.

The falafel ($4.95) was excellent: Four crisp, golden-brown founds of fried chickpea batter, tinted green with parsley, were arranged on a warm pita and topped with dollops of sour cream and diced salad veggies.

With a couple of small dishes of house-made gelato ($2.75) to finish, the tab was about $24, plus $5 for the tip jar.